Merkur Futur Vs Merkur Progress

[nick2401]

These are both the modern standard in adjustable DE Shaving... As someone who can only afford one what are the pros and cons?

Thanks Gents and Ladies.

[warhawk]

These are both the modern standard in adjustable DE Shaving... As someone who can only afford one what are the pros and cons?

Thanks Gents and Ladies.

Hi Nick:  First of all, both are great razors.  At one time I owned both the Futur and the Progress.  As a face and head shaver, I liked my shaves with both.

Here is my take from my experience... the Futur is the more aggressive razor.  It is infamous for it's aggressiveness.  It gave me some great face shaves and head shaves.  The only thing I didn't like about it was that it had a very slippery handle.  The slipperiness bothered me in that I sold it to a good friend.

The Progress is probably the best modern day DE razor.  It has a great feel and the handle is not slippery.  I love the hefty feel of the razor.  It gives great shaves.  I loved it so much that I upgraded it to a Mergress which is a customized Progress.

Good luck in your decision on either razor.  You will come out a winner with whatever decision you make.  Remember... YMMV (your mileage may vary) meaning what works for one may not work for another.

Again, good luck and kindly keep us posted.  Will this be your first DE razor?  If no.... what other safety razors are you using?

WARHAWK

[nick2401]

These are both the modern standard in adjustable DE Shaving... As someone who can only afford one what are the pros and cons?

Thanks Gents and Ladies.

Hi Nick:  First of all, both are great razors.  At one time I owned both the Futur and the Progress.  As a face and head shaver, I liked my shaves with both.

Here is my take from my experience... the Futur is the more aggressive razor.  It is infamous for it's aggressiveness.  It gave me some great face shaves and head shaves.  The only thing I didn't like about it was that it had a very slippery handle.  The slipperiness bothered me in that I sold it to a good friend.

The Progress is probably the best modern day DE razor.  It has a great feel and the handle is not slippery.  I love the hefty feel of the razor.  It gives great shaves.  I loved it so much that I upgraded it to a Mergress which is a customized Progress.

Good luck in your decision on either razor.  You will come out a winner with whatever decision you make.  Remember... YMMV (your mileage may vary) meaning what works for one may not work for another.

Again, good luck and kindly keep us posted.  Will this be your first DE razor?  If no.... what other safety razors are you using?

WARHAWK

Hey Warhawk,

Thanks for the quick response.

I had been leaning towards the progress because the handle looked less slipper and the blade access seemed a bit safer but I looked at some of the reviews and started to doubt my first instincts.

Would you suggest I go right to the Mergress?

To answer your questions:

I've had a DE razor for a little over a year it came as a package deal with my first shave bowl and brush. It didn't really have a name but it gets large flat areas ( my neckline, the sides of my head and cleaning up the edge of my beard) it suffers on the curved bits ( which let's face it is most of the dome). Which is the main reason I want to upgrade to a adjustable so I can still get the close shave where it is easier but dial down the harshness on the curves.

Thanks

Nick

[warhawk]

1st of all, let me clarify my earlier comments.  I mistakenly stated that the Merkur Progress was the best DE razor.  What I meant to say was that I feel that the Merkur Progress is the best modern day adjustable DE razor.

Nick... if I were you, I would just buy the regular Progress and see how it shaves.  If you really like it than I would recommend that you upgrade your Progress to a Mergress.  There is a member from www.badgerandblade.com who specializes in upgrading Progress razors to Mergress razors.  Let me know when that time comes so I can point you in the right direction.

WARHAWK

[nick2401]

Thank you for the clarification and the offer to hook me up with someone to upgrade the Progress when/if the time comes.

One more question: what are the benefits of a long handled razor for head shaving?

Thank you for being the wealth of information that you are Warhawk!

[warhawk]

Hi Nick:  For me. . . I prefer the regular sized handle over the long handle for head shaving
because of the many challenging angles of the dome.  I can get to every angle better versus the long handles.  Good luck and kindly keep us posted.

WARHAWK

[gwsmallwood]

One more question: what are the benefits of a long handled razor for head shaving?

Again, YMMV.  I've experimented with various lengths. I think my sweet spot is between 3.25 and 3.5 inches.  But I still like the shorter 3" handle on my new, and I like the longer Grande handle on my R41.

Have you considered vintage?  I love my Fatboy.  If you keep an eye on the bay you can find them in the same price range as the progress, or you can find slims a little cheaper.

[nick2401]

Well my progress came in the mail today and you can bet your boots I used it for my daily shave. I need to do some more experimenting with the adjustments, but I like it. It is significant'y heavier then my previous razor so I am still figuring out a few places. But for a first time shave it met my expectations. I am really looking forward for my next shave. Thank you for all of your wisdom

gwsmallwood: My uncle has a fat boy, but he told me straight up I need to pry it from his cold dead hands... The progress will tide me over till then.

[greatnessinc]

I have both. #humblebrag

Futur:
Pros
* easy to change the blade
* hefty razor that cuts close
* well built
* looks great
Cons
* Bulky
* doesn't get under the nose
* not good at edging
*slippery (but I put a rubber pen grip on mine to eliminate this)

Overall: this is a great razor to have in your arsenal. May take a bit of getting used to, but still it is well worth the money.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Progress
Pros
* small profile that gets into those tight tough to get areas
* enough adjustment settings to find your sweet spot
* easy to maneuver

Cons
* complicated to change the blade
* you have to reset to your desired setting after changing the blade
* gunk tends to build up due to the negative reinforcement of taking it apart to clean and putting it back together

Overall:
It's a solid modern razor but is complicated to change the blade and clean the razor. A decent razor to own if you can afford it; if you're on a tight budget look at a Gillette slim.

[nick2401]

I don't find it complicated to clean or change the blade ( Unscrew till open, maintain or replace blade, screw till closed) and I have a 100 pack of Astra blades which pretty much fit perfectly ( zero on the blade is zero on the scale). I've really enjoyed the shaves I"ve gotten and the razor feels good in my hands.

Thanks for the review greatnessinc